Lighting fixture



Oct. 31, 1961 L. l. DVORAK 3,007,039

LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Feb. 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 155755 I. DI OPAK Oct. 31, 1961 1. DVORAK LIGHTING FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 17, 1958 NVENTOR.

LE3 7'52 1'. DVOEAK 3,907,039 LEGHTHNG FHXTURE Lester I. Dvorak, Vlestlake, @hio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Wakefield Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Feb. 17, E53, der. No. 715,756 1 (Jlairn. (Cl. ass-7s This invention relates to hingeable supports for swingably, latchably connecting several or more members together to provide for relative swingable movement therebetween.

More particularly, the hingeable support structure of the present invention is especially designed for use with lighting fixtures or the like wherein it is desirable to move one or more of the fixture members and provide access to the normally inaccessible interior of the same, and hence to the illuminating device therein, while yet retaining the lighting fixture as a unitary and integral unit.

In present day lighting fixtures of the type referred to, the interior of the same, or that part in which the illuminating device such as a bulb or fluorescent tubing is located, is normally inaccessible by reason of the fact that a lens member or the like completely encloses said illuminating device to thereby provide a more diffused lighting effect. Oftentimes, when it is desirable to replace the illuminating device, such as when the bulb or fluorescent tubing burns out, the lens member must be completely removed from the fixture before access can be had to said device. For example, the artisan in the field is fully cognizant of the type of lighting fixture wherein a canopy type lens member is releasably held to the fixture housing by means of suitable threaded fasteners received within the housing and extending radially inwardly thereof to engage with the outer wall of the lens member. In this particular type of lighting fixture, it is necessary to first remove said fasteners from the housing before the lens member can be detached from its operative association with the latter. As a result, the several parts of the lighting fixture are disassembled and are apt to be lost or damaged during the interval when replacement or maintenance to the illuminating device is necessary.

Other similarly operative devices are well known to the artisan wherein it is likewise required to totally remove one or more of the fixture members before access to the illuminating device may be accomplished.

Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of a hingeable support structure especially designed for use with lighting fixtures, or the like, wherein one or more of the fixture members may be readily moved to obtain access to the normally inaccessible interior of the fixture while retaining the said fixture members in operative association with each other as a unitary and integral unit.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel and improved hingeable support structure especially designed for use with lighting fixtures, or the like, and wherein the structure hingedly supports at least one of the fixture members and latchably connects the same in an operative position relative to the other of said fixture members.

Still another obiect of the present invention is the provision of a novel and improved hingeable support structure especially designed for use with a lighting fixture having a canopy type lens member completely enclosing the illtuninating device of said fixture and wherein the said structure peripherally supports the lens member and additionally provides for swinging the same to obtain access to the normally inaccessible illuminating device disposed in the interior of said fixture.

Additional objects and advantages of the hingeable support structure of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reference to the description of several preferred embodiments following herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and wherein FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a circular form of lighting fixture embodying the hingeable support structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view shown partly in section and taken substantially on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lighting fixture of FIG. 1 and shows the latching mechanism for the hingeable support structure;

FIG' 4 is a top plan View of another form of lighting fixture embodying a second embodiment of hingeable support structure of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the lighting fixture of FIG. 4, shown partly in section;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view shown partly in section, looking substantially in the direction of the arrows 6-6 of FIG. 4 and shows the hinge connection between the several members of the lighting fixture;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on line 77 of FIG. 4; and,

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view shown partly in section taken substantially on line 8-8 of FIG. 4 and shows the latching mechanism of the hingeable support structure.

Referring now to FIGS. l3 of the drawings, one embodiment of the hingeable support structure of the present invention is herein embodied, merely for purposes of illustration, with a circular lighting fixture normally adapted for use in a domestic installation or the like and comprising in its instant form a pan-shaped housing 2 having a substantially flat circular base portion 3 integrally connected at its periphery to an outwardly diverging annular wall 4, the latter having a narrow axially disposed rim portion 40 on its free end, said wall is also integrally provided with a downwardly depending annular shoulder portion 5 substantially V-shaped in section bordering said housing base. A suitable socket 6 is rigidly attached to the underside of the base portion 3 adjacent the annular shoulder 5 and accommodates an illuminating device such as a bulb or the like as indicated at 7, and which is connectable in electrical circuit to a suitable source of electrical power (not shown), by means of wires 8 and 9. The housing 2 is adapted to be rigidly attached to the convenience ceiling outlet in a domestic installation or the like and for this purpose the latter is normally provided with a flat mounting plate 10, having an aperture 11 formed therein through which the aforesaid wires 8 and 9 may extend to be connected to the electrical source so as to be hidden from view. Said plate is usually provided centrally with a fastener such as screw 12 which depends vertically downwardly therefrom and adapted to project into and through the base portion 3 of the housing 2. In the instant form of fixture, a cup-shaped light reflector member 13 is placed over said projecting end of the fastener 12 and against the underside of the housing base portion 2 and a nut 14 or the like in threaded engagement with said screw is operative to secure the fixture housing 2 to said mounting plate 10 and also the light reflector to the base portion 3 of said housing. The light shield is thence effective to concentrate and direct the light emanating from the illuminating device 7 toward the lower portion of the lighting fixture. The present form of lighting fixture also includes a shallow bowl-like lens-member or refractor 16 having a substantially flat circular base portion 17 integrally connected to an annular upwardly and outwardly curved wall 18, which, in turn is integrally provided with laterally outwardly extending flange 19 on its upper peripheral free edge. The lens-member 16 is adapted to be suspended from the fixture housing 2 substantially directly centrally below the aforesaid reflector member 13 in such manner as to completely encase the illuminating device 7, being operative thereby to difluse the light emanating therefrom throughout a given area. Likewise, the outside surface of the annular wall 18 of said lens member may be provided with a plurality of inclined parallel spaced lens surfaces as indicated by the reference numeral 20 in FIG. 2, which are also effective to aid in diffusing the light more evenly throughout said area.

The lens-'nember 16, as is shown in FIG. 2, is hingeably attached to the fixture housing 2 in its normally operative position wherein it completely encases the aforesaid illuminating device, and is adapted to be swung downwardly from this position relative to said housing whereby the illuminating device is exposed and access may be readily had to the same for purposes of maintenance, replacement or the like. For this purpose, the instant form of hingeable support structure includes a support member 22 which is substantially conical-shaped in configuration and which may be formed of any suitable transparent, translucent or opaque material as is desired. One end of said support member is integrally formed with a radially inwardly projecting flange 23, the latter rigidly mounting a circular channel member 24 opening to the center of said support member and which receives the lateral flange 19 on the lens-member 16, in such manner as to peripherally support the same. The opposite end of said support member is integrally provided with a cylindrical wall portion 26 being laterally offset outwardly of the conical shaped wall portion thereof by means of a laterally extending annular Wall 27.

The conical-shaped support member is hingeably attached to the fixture housing 2, and for this purpose the upper edge of the wall 26 is integrally formed with a straight portion 28 to which is rigidly fastened one arm 29 of an elongated hinge 30. The upper edge of the annular wall 4 of the housing 2 is also integrally provided with a similarly formed straight portion 31 to which is rigidly fastened the remaining arm 32 of said elongated hinge. In this manner, as is shown in FIG. 2, the conicalshaped support member 22 and the lens-member 16 are hingeably connected to the fixture housing 2 such that they may be swingably moved upwardly about said hinge member to completely encase the illuminating device 7. And, with said members thus located in their normally operative position, it is seen that the cylindrical wall portion 26 of the support member 22 lies closely adjacent to and outwardly of the annular wall 4 of the housing 2, and in addition, the lower apex portion 33 of the annular shoulder 5 on said housing engages with the inner surface 34 of the conical-shaped wall portion of said support member at a peripheral plane therein adjacent the laterally extending annular wall 27 thereof such as to centrally position said support member and lens member 16 carried by the latter, substantially directly centrally within said housing.

The support member 22 and lens member 16 are adapted to be latchably supported in their normal op erative position as above described, and to accomplish this, the instant form of hingeable support structure includes a substantially L-shaped latch member 35, FIG. 3, which has its base leg 36 rigidly mounted at its free end by means of a suitable fastener, as indicated at 36a, to the upper surface of the lateral wall 27 of the support member 22. preferably diametrically opposite the above described hinge connection, and in such manner that its remaining leg 37, depending perpendicularly from said base leg, extends transversely across the cylindrical wall 26 and closely adjacent the inner surface 38 of the same. Said latch member is preferably constructed of any suitable spring material to enable the same to be sprung about its base leg 36 as will be presently described to selectively latch or unlatch said support member to or from said housing.

The outwardly inclined annular wall 4 of the housing 2 directly above the base leg 36 of the latch member is provided with an enlarged opening 41 through which the free end of the depending leg 37 of said latch member is adapted to extend when the support member 22 and lensmember 16 are in their aforementioned normal operative position. The rim portion 4a of said housing annular wall is likewise provided with a tongue member 43 which inclines upwardly and inwardly of the latter and latchably engages with a latch 4- substantially V-shaped in section and integrally formed on the extremity of the free end of said depending arm. As is seen in FIG. 3, the latch 44 projects downwardly and outwardly from the end of said depending arm and extends over the tongue member 43 to engage its upper edge, the resilient characteristics of said arm being normally elfective to bias said latch outwardly toward the housing annular wall 4 in such manner as to resiliently latchably fasten said support member and lens-member to said housing.

The latch member 35 is adapted to be selectively sprung about its base leg 36, much like the movement of a cantilever so as to unlatch the support member 22 from the housing 2, and for this purpose, the cylindrical Wall 26 of said support member is provided with an enlarged aperture 46 located therein in juxtaposition to the depending leg 37 of said latch member. A cylindrical button-type operator 47 is slidab ly disposed in said aperture extending radially toward the axis of the housing and has a stem portion 48 on its inner end of reduced diameter defining thereby an annular shoulder 49 intermediate the ends of said operator. Said stem portion is projected through an aperture 51 formed in said depending leg, being secured to the latter by means of an enlarged head 52 provided on the free end of said stem. With this particular construction, it is therefore realized that when the cylindrical operator 47 is depressed into the support member 22, the annular shoulder 49 thereon engages with the surface of the depending leg 37 surrounding the aperture 51 such that the same is sprung inwardly from its normal position to move the latch 44 to an unlatched position relative to the tongue member 43, to thereby enable the support member and lens member 16 to be thereafter swingably movable downwardly about the hinge 29 to obtain access to the illuminating device 7.

The form of lighting fixture shown in FIGS. 4-8 inclusive, and which discloses another embodiment of hingeable support structure of the present invention, includes a housing 51, substantially rectangular in configuration and integrally formed with a double walled flat base portion 52, the upper wall 53 of which is integrally connected at its periphery to an annular wall 54, the latter being disposed in substantially perpendicular relation thereto. A suitable electrical outlet such as socket 55 is rigidly mounted to the underside wall 534; of the housing base 52 into which is disposed an illuminating device, the latter being connectable in electrical circuit to a suitable electrical power source (not shown) by means of conductors 56 and 57.

The instant form of lighting fixture also includes a substantially rectangular dish-shaped support member 59 integrally formed with a base 60 connecting at its periphery to upstanding, opposed side and end walls 61 and 61a, respectively. The support base 60, as is shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, is centrally provided with an enlarged opening 62 which is adapted to accommodate a rectangular bowl-like lens member 63, the latter being integrally provided with a substantially flat base 64 connecting at its periphery to opposed side walls and end walls 65 and 66 respectively. Said lens member walls, as is shown particularly in FIG. 5, are inclined upwardly and outwardly relative to the base 64 and are integrally formed at their upper edge with a laterally outwardly extending flange 67. In addition, the outside face of said member walls and base may be provided with a plurality of parallel spaced inclined lens surfaces, as indicated at 67a, which effect to more evenly diffuse the light emanating from said illuminating device. The lens member 63 is adapted to be attached to the support member 59 and to accomplish this, said lens member is lowered into the latter, base first, and through the enlarged opening 62 in such manner that the underside face of the flange 67 rests upon the upper surface of the support base 60 bordering the enlarged opening 62. A plurality of clip members such as is indicated at 69 in FIGS. 4 and 5, and which are attached at spaced points to the end walls 61a of said support member, are adapted to extend over and engage with the top face 70 of the lens member flange and in this manner retain the same centrally within said support member.

With said lens member thus mounted, the instant form of hingeable support structure is adapted to hingeably attach the support member 59 to the fixture housing 51 and for this purpose one end portion of the wall 54 of said housing rigidly mounts an arm 73 of an elongated piano type hinge 74. The opposite arm 75 of said hinge is rigidly attached to the inside surface of oneend wall 61 of said support member being juxtaposed to the upper edge thereon. Said end wall, in addition, is centrally formed with a shallow, elongated rectangular recess 77 opening to its upper edge and adapted to accommodate the knuckle portion 74a of said hinge. With this construction, it is now seen that the support member 59 may be swingably moved upwardly to the fixture housing 51, as seen in FIG. such that its walls 61 and 61a are closely spaced outwardly of the annular wall 54 of said housing, and the lens member is suspended substantially vertically below the illuminating device carried within the socket 55 and in operative position to diffuse and reflect the light emanating therefrom. And, with the support member and lens refractor thus located, the upper edge of the support member walls lie juxtaposed to the upper edge of said housing annular wall and hence presents a substantially more compact and decorative lighting fixture.

The support member 59 and lens member 63 are adapted to be latchably supported in their normally operative position as just described and to accomplish this, the instant form of hingeable support structure includes an elongated latch member 81 formed of a suitable resilient material and which has its base leg 82 securely fastened to the support member base 60, at a point preferably directly opposite the above described hinge connection and in such manner that its upstanding leg 83 lies in closely spaced relation and extends substantially transversely to the inside surfaces of the adjacent support member end wall 61a. Said upstanding latch member leg is also provided at its free end with a latch arm 84 substantially C-shaped in configuration, opening toward said latter end wall and integrally formed with a latch 85 on the upper end thereof which depends downward-1y and outwardly therefrom. A lock plate 87 formed of a suitable rigid material and mounted on the inside surface of the housing annular wall 54 also preferably directly opposite said hinge connection, is integrally formed with a tongue 88 inclining upwardly and inwardly therefrom toward the center of the housing and which is adapted to latchably engage with the latch 85. To accomplish this, an enlarged opening 89 is provided in the annular wall 54 of the fixture housing directly below the lock plate 87 and through which extends the upstanding leg 83 of said latch member when the support member 59 and lens member 63 are moved to the aforementioned normal position. And, as is seen in FIGS. 5 and 8, with the support member and lens member thus located, said latch member leg extends upwardly through said enlarged opening such that the latch extends over and engages with the tongue 88; the resilient characteristics of said latch member being normally effective to bias said latch outwardly toward the housing annular wall 54 sufliciently to resiliently latchably fasten the same to said lock plate. With particular reference to FIG. 8, the latch 84 is shown to be integrally provided with substantially triangularly shaped side wall portions 90, the bottom edge of which engage with the upper edge of the tongue 88 and hence prevents said latch from extending downwardly and behind the latter which would thereafter prevent the separation of said fixture members.

The instant form of hingeable support structure also includes means to unlatch the latch member 8 1 from the tongue 88, and for this purpose, the annular wall 54 is provided with an enlarged aperture 91 located therein directly opposite the upstanding latch member leg 83. A cylindrical button type operator 92, similar to the operator 47 in the previous embodiment, is slidably disposed in the aperture 91, extending toward the center of the housing and also attached to the upstanding leg 53' of said latch member in a manner similarly to that previously described.

With this construction, it is realized that when the button-type operator 9 2 is depressed into the support member 59 it causes an inwardly directed swingable movement of the aforementioned leg 83* of the latch member 81 about its base leg 82, much like the movement of a cantilever, whereby the latch 85 is carried free of the lock member tongue 88 to an unlatched position as is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 8. As a result and with said latch thus located, said support member and lens member 63 may then be swingably moved downwardly about the aforesaid hinge connection, or in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 5, such as to obtain access to the illuminating device. In addition, a tongue 94, FIG. 8, formed integrally on the inner edge of the enlarged opening 89 extends upwardly therefrom and is positioned to be in pressure engagement with the latch arm 84 as said support member and lens member are lowered and hence prevent the same from suddenly swinging about said hinge connection the instant the operator is depressed to release the latch.

It is therefore realized that the several embodiments of hingeable support structures of the present invention described in detail hereinabove, provides for swingably latchably connecting several or more members of a lighting fixture or the like together whereby the same may be swingably moved relative to each other and access to the normally inaccessible interior of the same may be had and hence to the illuminating device carried therein whlie retaining said lighting fixture as a unitary and integral unit.

Having thus described in detail the hingeable support structure of the present invention, it is realized that the same is susceptible to various modifications, combinations, and arrangements of parts without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein and as defined in the claim.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A lighting fixture comprising a base mounting an illuminating device, a bowl-shaped lens-refractor for diffusing the light emanating from said device, a conical-shaped support having a circular flange formed on its lower open end, a circular channel member on said flange facing toward the axis of said support, said lens-refractor having an outwardly projecting annular flange formed on its open end and disposed in said channel member, an annular wall integrally formed on the opposite open end of said support and enveloping said base, hinge means connected between one end of said annular wall and base to provide for swingably attaching said support to said base, latch means comprising a latch member attached at its one end to said annular support wall and disposed adjacent the inside surface of the same, a latch provided on the opposite end of said latch member, a tongue on said base, operator means movably disposed in said annular support wall and actuatable to swing said latch member so as to bring said latch into latching engagement with said tongue effective to releasably suspend said support downwardly from said base so as to locate said lens-refractor in spaced relation to said base and in a light difiusing position relative to said illuminating device, and an annular shoulder formed on said base engageable with said support intermediate said annular Wall and circular flange being effective to centrally position said support and lens-refractor below said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lungren Aug. 23, Spencer Mar. 29, Ashley et al May 19, Guth Oct. 12, Winkelmeyer Jan. 4, Early June 6, Renaud et al. May 1,

FOREIGN PATENTS Denmark May 15,

Great Britain May 7, 

